Officially, this is the Tudor Prince Date Chronograph. “Prince” is the Tudor model line, and 79280 is the reference — the version with the polished steel bezel and engraved tachymeter scale, Tudor’s upgrade over the old acrylic inserts that used to crack. But almost nobody calls it that. Ask a collector and they’ll call it the Tiger.
The nickname comes from golf. In 1997 a 21-year-old Tiger Woods won his first Masters, and Tudor signed him as an ambassador soon after. He became the face of these Prince Date chronographs in Tudor’s advertising through the late nineties and early 2000s, and some versions even carried his name printed on the dial. The name stuck to the whole family, the same way Rolex collectors say Pepsi, Batman or Hulk instead of a reference number. Dealers and auction houses list them as the Tudor Tiger to this day, and this one — dated 1997, the year it all started — is about as on-theme as a Tiger gets.
This one is a 1997 example with the grey sunray dial and contrasting black sub-dials, date window between them, screw-down pushers either side of a Rolex-signed crown, and the classic Oyster bracelet. 40mm, sharp case lines, clean dial. It’s the kind of nineties sports chronograph that looks better now than it did new.
The set is what makes it. Plenty of 79280s turn up, but very few still have their original dated paperwork. This one has the lot: the Tudor guarantee paper signed and dated 17 June 1997 by the selling retailer in Oslo, the guarantee booklet, the red hang tag, the inner red Tudor box and the outer box labelled 79280. Nearly thirty years on, all still together.
It presents in excellent condition and is covered by our TWB 12-month in-house warranty. At $6,900 for a fully documented Tudor Tiger, this is one of the best-value entries into collectable Tudor you’ll find. Viewings by appointment, Sydney CBD.
Price: $6,900 AUD
Condition: Excellent — full set with inner and outer box, guarantee booklet, original dated 1997 guarantee paper, hang tag. TWB 12-month warranty
Reference: 79280 (1997, 40mm steel, grey dial with black sub-dials, steel tachymeter bezel)
Enquiries by appointment — Sydney CBD.